250ml served on-tap at the release party 2/15/14 into a Lakewood tulip glass. Reviewed from notes.

Appearance: Thick black motor oil that appears crimson around the edges when held up to the light. A pale coffee crown sits around the edge of the glass, with no lacing or head to speak of.

Smell: Holy hell. A ridiculous amount of raspberry almost drowns out the bitter chocolate notes typically found in the base beer. Bourbon yells just as loudly, but the lactose sugar isn't lost in the crowd. Dark fruity malts (hints of fig?) play in the background.

Taste: The chocolate mostly missing from the nose reminds you of its strength in the taste. Raspberry comes through beautifully here, but far from overwhelming, and leaves a light tang on its way out. Lactose is barely there in the taste, but roasted coffee certainly is. The bourbon adds a pleasant sweetness that rounds out the beer just perfectly. This reminds me a lot of Backyard Rye, but not as sweet and sugary as the Bourbon County offering.

Mouthfeel: Remarkably dry, considering this is a bourbon barrel aged and fruited milk stout. Somewhat thinner than expected, considering the motor oil pour into the glass. Carbonation is on the lower side, but not ridiculously so.

Overall: This was remarkable. I think I preferred it to Backyard Rye, which is a fantastic beer in its own right. I'd love to see this released regularly, and hopefully in bottles eventually. It's too delicious to be a one off, never to be seen again.